Fourteen Days
by Busman's Holiday
Summary: A fortnight in the future of Ste and Brendan's life together. Each day is a short snappy 100-word insight into their life, from alternate perspectives. Dealing with being a couple, business, illness, drug deals, jealousy and all the drama from the pair of them!
1. Chapter 1

_Drabbles from a fortnight in the future of Ste and Brendan. POV alternates between Brendan and Ste. Just something a little different and happy! Hope you enjoy. This chapter is the first week, the next seven days coming within the next 24 hours!_

_x_

_**Monday**_

Steven still claims illness. Box of tissues clamped under his chin, eyes red and watery. No appetite for sex (too snot ridden for sex). Whimpered last night, sniffing all the fucking time in my ear, going near him was like rubbing against a pot of Vicks.

He'd perked up by lunch and the lethargic limbs of his wobbled to the front door when I popped home from work.

"Soup. Lemsip," I held them up like a man who had never done shopping for the invalid. Had I not nursed a pregnant Eileen once? Not likely.

He smiled. Bright pink nose.

_**Tuesday**_

Just sniffles left now.

Bren said it was good to see me back on me feet. What he meant was it was good to have his housewife back. He did try, but his attempts at cooking (takeaways), washing (incomplete), cleaning (lazy) just made the fever ache more.

But today we're not talking anyway. Lots of door slamming, silences and bouts of swearing. He's buggered off to the club, not the one that ticks over nicely with that hot Portuguese manager (I don't tell Brendan I think that) but the one that keeps him away for longer, away from our row.

_**Wednesday**_

Jealousy. Anger. Control. I was married to them. It wasn't like divorcing the misses, they weren't a signature away from being history, they were a blood bond. They still lurk there, like a dimmed setting right at the back. Steven knows this. We had this long chat once upon a time. He dragged words out of me. I'm not a talker, not things like that. But it helped then.

He's a jealous prick now and again. But he has the anger turned right down low. He has stubbornness and I try to fight it with control.

Today I said sorry.

_**Thursday**_

Good thing I'm boss. Late today. Three days off sick over the weekend. I'd fire me.

Today wasn't even a proper excuse. Today was the replay of the snooze button. A sex hangover. Muscles, that probably have some dead fancy name, ached. He had me in gymnastic angles until four in the morning.

We'd glossed over the argument eventually. I didn't accept the first apology. But when I was sure he meant it, I said sorry too.

"Good. Now that's cleared up…" and then he'd launched into a kiss. Assertive. I was on his lap for a good half hour.

_**Friday**_

The particular drugs deal, which Steven had described in his unique eloquence as 'dodgy', ended today – smoothly – so with any luck, he'd stop nagging. I think he'd hoped that I'd leave all that behind me. There was a difference between living with Steven (not wincing all the time at the word boyfriend) and having my balls cut off. I kept my promise about staying away from the A-class and kept less secrets from him. This deal had been the sore point midweek. As was his upcoming business trip with the ex, the Yankie dickhead. I still struggled to tolerate him.

_**Saturday**_

Funny how things change. I look at Doug and barely remember that time we were together. It almost seems ridiculous now.

The teamwork still plays well, like today - we talk about the third deli opening in Manchester with the accountant. It's not far from home with Brendan, who I can almost feel sweating in the flat trying not to text more than twice an hour.

I have coffee with Doug. He seems happier than ever. He shows me a picture of his new boyfriend. Toby.

I feel less guilty when I say I'm going to ask Brendan to marry me.

_**Sunday**_

When I get back from the gym, Steven's home from his Travelodge excursion. He tells me he missed me and his lips linger fondly on my tache. I ask about the business, I mock Douglas. I yawn at Steven's attempts to defend him and ask him if he's joining me for a shower.

Obviously he does.

In the afternoon I get a chance to look at the clubs' books and spy on the kids via Facebook. Declan's is a feed of pub crawls and Paddy's a snapshot various sports' matches. Steven put his arms around me. "Call them," he said.


	2. Chapter 2

_And here are the next seven days! Really hope you enjoyed!_

x

_**Monday**_

It's Leah's first day of high school. I don't stop thinking about her all day and call her as soon as I'm home. She sounds tired. I'm not ready for her to grow up this fast.

"Have you done it yet Dad?" she asks impatiently, trying to whisper. Amy doesn't know yet. Leah's my best secret keeper. Lucas is blabber.

"Not yet,"

"When?"

"Soon,"

"Can I tell Mum?"

"Not yet,"

"Okay. Have you got a diamond ring?"

I laugh.

"Yeah, maybe Brendan wouldn't like that," she says. I call her my princess and tell her to stay out of trouble.

_**Tuesday**_

I make his staff work for their minimum wage. I test the new ones, ask for something off menu. They nudge each other when they see me outside. Mr Brady, they say, he's the boss's boyfriend – don't fuck up his order.

Lunchtime today and Steven's buzzing about the place, flustered. I hear his accent flare as his temper simmers with one of the customers. I lean on the counter and get a spotty kid to list every bread type they have.

"Oli ignore him," Steven says, drifting past, glaring at me.

"Lunch?"

He frowns. "Can't. Up to my neck 'ere."

_**Wednesday**_

He's got burger sauce on his moustache. I stare it at for a while.

There's gherkins spread neatly out on his wrapper. He'd eat the entire McDonald's menu off my body but not the gherkins. I snatch one and grin at his disgust.

"I thought I'd go see the boys next week,"

Things weren't always that comfortable in Ireland for me, but the atmosphere was warming. I knew Brendan still separated there and here in his head. Compartmentalising a counsellor once said. I think that's it. It made him on edge. More than normal.

"We'll make a weekend of it."

_**Thursday**_

"I'm not asking permission to bring him. I'm telling you he's coming." A run of the mill conversation with Eileen. Her idea of Steven being with me at the soccer game, was that I'd stand right next to her friends and the family priest with Steven's cock and balls in my mouth.

Later that evening I sucked him off as the credits on the DVD rolled. It relaxed that heavy frown of his. He wouldn't tell me what was bothering him. But worry looked beautiful on him.

I tried not to start an argument again based off my own paranoia.

_**Friday**_

I started having doubts. I imagined the worst case scenarios. I was awake in the night watching him sleep, wanting to hold onto this moment, knowing if I went through with my plans on Saturday then things might never be the same again.

Would he laugh in my face? Would there be embarrassment or disgust? Worse, would there be anger? The dark times were past us, the fear a distant memory, but getting to where we were now was a struggle. Was I about to screw it all up?

GOOD LUCK TOMORROW DADDY. I HOPE HE SAYS YES LUV LEAH.

_**Saturday**_

There was a thrown together sense of romance that evening in a way that seemed to be engineered to minimise my discomfort. One candle, no tablecloth, beer not wine, classical music not some slushy CD.

His arse was squeezed in tight jeans. But he seemed a world away as he put a blowtorch to the crème brulees. I'd heard all about his previous fire-starting and I made light of it tonight.

"I'm changed man, in't I?" he said, sitting back down at the table. He touched my hand.

He fidgeted.

"Don't eat yet," he said.

Was he going to vomit?

_**Sunday**_

My phone buzzed.

A text from Amy: _Call me._ Seventeen alerts from Facebook.

_Ste Hay is engaged. Twenty-six people like this._

"When the fuck did you get time to update that?" Brendan said groggily. He spooned me, peering over my shoulder. He reached over the top of me to grab his phone. A voicemail from Cheryl.

"When you went to buy more condoms," I grinned. I added a comment to my status underneath everyone else's. _Mint innit? Well happy._

"Jesus, listen to this." Brendan pressed his phone to my ear. I grimaced as Cheryl's joyful screams went straight through me.


End file.
